As many as 1,000 people staged a spectacular stunt in Moscow, unfurling a giant Russian tricolor as part of nationwide celebrations honoring three and a half centuries of its history.
The flag – 2,500 square meters in size – spanned one of the main avenues in Moscow on Saturday afternoon, with over a thousand volunteers and Moscow residents helping to unfurl it.
The flash mob already made it into Russia’s record books and attracted over 70,000 people, who flocked to downtown Moscow to see the gigantic flag, the mayor’s office said.
Separately, another banner was unfurled at the same venue, featuring the flags of hundreds of Russian cities. Put together, they were apparently meant to show both the diversity and unity of the nation.
The earliest mention of the flag dates back to the late 17th century, associated with the first Russian naval ship, the frigate Oryol (eagle). Later it became the official flag of Tsarist Russia, and remained so until the 1917 Revolution. It was later replaced by the iconic red flag with hammer and sickle.
In 1991, the white-blue-red flag was brought back, adopted as a national symbol of post-Soviet Russia.
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